Tourist Industry to Preach Florida's Beaches to the World

The international tourism industry will converge on Orlando early next week, and Florida is looking at it as an opportunity to allay fears that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has sullied Florida's beaches.

The United States Travel Association International Pow Wow will bring more than 5,000 delegates from around the world to the Orlando International Convention Center. Between Sunday and Wednesday, it will give the tourist industries in Florida and elsewhere the chance to promote themselves.

International tourism accounts for about 8 percent of tourism in Florida, and the state hosted the conference last year in Miami.

Rallying around the call "Florida's Beaches are Still Open for Business," hospitality leaders will be organizing trips to the Panhandle and coasts to show that the oil unleashed after the explosion on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig has not touched Florida shores.

"It's a great opportunity to do it in a very public, pro-active, positive way," said Visit Florida President and CEO Chris Thompson.

The hospitality industry has been fretting that the continuing coverage of the spill has been discouraging tourists from visiting the state as the summer season approaches. Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing board, has started a live webcam service to show that no oil has washed up on the beaches.